Page 40 of Of Storm and Emerald
Picking up the basket from where it sat between them, he pulled back the cloth that had been draped over the top, revealing various foods that all smelled divine.
“What is all of this?” he asked in awe.
Auraelia chuckled. “Well let’s see here. We have chocolate croissants, cheese, strawberries, and oh my goddess, they even put in a bottle of blueberry wine.”
Daemon watched in wonder as Auraelia’s eyes danced with joy.
Picking up one of the chocolate pastries, she took a bite. Her face melted into one of pure bliss. “You really must try this.”
Before he could protest, she shoved a piece into his mouth.
A moan rumbled deep in his throat, as the deliciousness of the pastry melted on his tongue. The shell was crisp, flakey, and salty from the butter. But the center was warm and full of melted, decadent chocolate, and he snatched the remaining piece from Auraelia.
“Hey!” she half shouted with a laugh.
“Sorry, this is mine now.” Daemon shoved the rest into his mouth.
Auraelia chuckled, then pulled two glasses from the basket and poured them both some blueberry wine.
Taking a sip, he let the sweet notes and bubbles dance across his palette. “May I ask you a question?”
Auraelia popped a strawberry into her mouth and nodded.
“What is the story behind the commander?”
Auraelia straightened, seemingly trying to steel herself for this conversation, and looked out over the training field that was in front of them.
Daemon reached to place his hand on top of hers, but thinking better of it, pulled back at the last minute. “You…you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
She took a deep breath, blowing it out in a stream of air. “Ser Aeron is the only father figure I have, or have ever had, in my life. The man who contributed to my genetic makeup has never been in the picture. He was around when Xander was born, and obviously around to make me, but he left shortly after as far as I know. Mother doesn’t talk about him. Xander and I have never needed him. And since lineage is determined through the matriarchal line, it really didn’t matter if he was present or not. But my mother–oh, my mother is a force to be reckoned with.”
A small laugh escaped. “She insisted that I be treated as any male would be. I was to learn everything Xander did. And when it came to physical training, there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that I, too, would be out on the training pitch. There were many,many, officers and soldiers that had been assigned to train me in combat, but they all treated me as if I were a delicate flower.”
Auraelia stood, the memory clearly one that still rubbed a nerve. She turned to face him but didn’t make eye contact. Instead staring down at her fingers as she picked at the skin around her nails.
“When mother had enough, she wrote to the Lord and Lady of the Court of Opal and asked for them to send someone to come instruct me; they sent Ser Aeron.”
At the mention of the Court of Opal, bits and pieces started falling into place. His size, the style of his hair, and the unusual color of his eyes. Opal was known for producing the greatest warriors in Ixora, both men and women.
Everyone in the Court of Opal was trained in defensive and offensive basics at the very least, and if a citizen chose to join the training academy there, they had to go through extensive trials to make sure that they would survive. The fact that they sent one of their warriors here spoke volumes of Queen Adelina’s reach and influence.
“How long has he been here?”
“Since I was around six. He started with training the queen’s guard, then took over Xander’s private lessons. When I turned ten, I started my own lessons, and after a year or so, he started training Xander and I together.”
“What about Piper? It seems unusual for a lady in waiting to participate in combat training.”
Auraelia looked up, embers burning in her gaze as she crossed her arms over her chest, “No moreunusualthan a princess learning combat training.”
“That’s not—”
“No, it is. I understand it’s not a common thing throughout Ixora for women to know how to protect themselves. But my mother refused to leave me defenseless. Magic can only get you so far.”
“I’m sorry, Auraelia, I truly didn’t mean to cause offense.”
Auraelia uncrossed her arms and walked back over to the bench to sit down. “Piper joined my training sessions shortly after I started them, actually. Ser Aeron grew tired of her distracting me on the sidelines, so he made her join in. He also said that as the future of Lyndaria, I needed to have someone that I could trust to guard my back not only in the politics of court life, but also in imminent danger.”
“He’s a smart man. A tad prickly in the people department, but he seems like a good one, too.”
